Cornwall Council Householder Team

Andrew England Assistant Head of Planning, Housing & Regeneration Householder Team Approach

- Context

- Budget

- Performance

- Aligning service resources

- Identifying what's important

- Feedback from Local Councils

- Enabling tool-

  - Single IT system
  - Moving work to staff Unitary Council

- 7 Councils into one unitary (now 5 years old)

- Circa 8,000 planning applications (4,000 household) a year

- New Development Management culture introduced at outset

- Generic Role profiles

- Functional teams

  - e.g. Delivery, Majors, General, Householder.

- Service Delivery Options Appraisal

- Business approach Budget Context

- Budget for Planning service continues to reduce.

| | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | |----------------|---------|---------|---------|---------| | Net budget (Millions) | £8.95 | £6.57 | £5.43 | £4.67 |

## Staffing

| | 2008/09 (estimated as at April 2009) | 2008/09 (as at June 2009) | 2009/10 (as at April 2010) | 2010/11 (as at August 2010) | Estimated reduction in posts since April 2009 | |----------------------|--------------------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------| | Full Time Equivalent (FTE) | 413 | 384.88 | 329.78 | 323.83 | 90 | Key Issues for Planning & Growth

• Environment • World Heritage Site, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Heritage Coast, etc. • European Convergence Funding. • Renewable Energy. • Affordable Housing • Circa 28,000 on Home Choice Register. • Cornwall Local Plan Pre-submission • 47,500 Housing target. (Former SWRSS – circa 68,000) Opportunities - New ways of doing things

- Householder applications

  - Householder team
  - Fast track Accredited agents scheme
  - Research Design Quality agents scheme
  - Stream line pre-application process Householder team - why?

- **Drivers**

  - Proportionality
  - Efficiency
  - Managing workloads
  - Increased productivity
  - Cost effective
  - Local fee setting
  - IT electronic files

- Local involvement – maintained

- Pilot project- 6 months Householder Team Scope of work

- **Extensions** and **alterations** to dwellings

- **Associated** listed building and conservation area applications

- **Certificate of lawfulness** for proposed works

- Works to **trees**

  - in conservation area
  - TPO applications Process....

- (Self) validate

- Publicity & consultation

- Desk top assessment

- Risk assessment

- Site visit?

- Simplified report template

- Decision issued

- **Note - no negotiation!** How will we know we have succeeded?

**Target**

- Increased productivity per officer
- Increased speed
  - 6 weeks to determination (or better)
- Improved validation 60% to 90%
- Cost efficient/neutral
- Maintain approval rate
- Customer satisfaction

**Actual**

- Increase on average by 100% (450 cases pa)
- 70% decided within 6 weeks; 93% within 8 weeks
- Accredited agents 100%; more work needed here
- Fee £172 = 3 hours achieved cost neutral
- 96% approval rate Application Validity Rates

| Year | 2008/9 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | |----------|--------|---------|---------|---------| | % Validity Rates | | | | |

Linear (%)

www.cornwall.gov.uk Quotes....

'we just want to build our extension'

'my client was really happy with the service'

'why can't all applications be dealt with this way' Reduced hours ....increased productivity Avoiding duplication

Better service at reduced costs Householder guidance

- assisting self service

• Householder Design guide

• How to submit an application

• Do I need permission? Fast track accredited agents

- Simplified validation checklist

- Promote accredited agents

- Release officer time for other applications

- Faster decision making - target 6 weeks

- Key contact officers

- Less bureaucracy

- Pre application work What agents do?

- Electronic Submission

- Supporting documentation

  - Photos
  - Site impact on neighbours

- Consistent quality

- A3/A4 plans for usability

- Linear scaled drawings

- Neighbour/ Local Council engagement

- Identify neighbour Single Householder Team

- Reduced mileage costs (50%) and time by using Google earth, etc.

- Increased speed 70% in 6 weeks

- Increased productivity (450 cases pa per officer)

- Provide a cost effective service (£170 = 3.3 hours work)

- High approval rate (96%) Single Householder Team

- Procedures recorded and followed.

- Shorter reports.

- Managed risk no complaints/ ombudsman cases.

- Customers welcome speed of decision.

- High staff morale – Smarties!

- Allows focus on majors. Next steps

• Mediation role for local councils? • More Local Development Orders? Eg Feock, Newquay • Single permission process for planning and building control? • Start to finish processing? • Develop quality accreditation scheme?